Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

So You Think Your E-Mail Is Really Deleted?

What are the chances that you can ever erase an e-mail? No chance, says Attorney Matthew Effland.  When you send e-mail, it’s saved in many places, most of which you can’t access. For example, Effland says, your e-mail is likely stored in: Your computer’s cache and e-mail outbox, Your e-mail service provider’s computers and/or corporate […]

Do Employees Have a Right to Privacy?

It used to be easy, says Attorney Matthew Effland. If you spotted someone reading on the job, you just told them to go back to work. Now, they have headphones on—are they listening to an audio conference on HR compliance, music that relaxes them, or a digital book? Unfortunately, you are going to have people […]

I Taught Them, But They Didn’t Learn

It’s a pretty common scenario—you’ve gone through the motions of training, but the participants didn’t pay much attention. That’s a real problem with HR subjects, because the stakes are high. Today, with a nod to our sister publication Safety Daily Advisor, we’ll offer tips for getting—and holding—your audience’s attention. What’s the attention span of your […]

Alternative Workweeks vs. Reduced-Hour Workweeks; What’s the Difference?

There are two types of four-day workweeks in California: alternative workweeks and reduced-hour workweeks. Alternative Workweeks When there is no reduction in the overall number of hours the employee works in a week (or in the employee’s workload), this is called an “alternative workweek schedule.” An example of an alternative workweek would be employees working […]

New Haven Firefighters’ Case: A Perfect Storm?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Readers Don’t Agree About New Haven Firefighters Tests? Two weeks ago we ran my column about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the New Haven firefighters’ case. (The justices overruled lower court decisions, holding that the city was wrong when it refused to use the results of a […]

Avoidance Discrimination—Silent, Subtle, Dangerous

Four men and a woman are at an out-of-town sales meeting. The men decide to go to a strip club, but because they don’t want to be guilty of harassment, they don’t invite the woman. "And they are right, there is no harassment, but there is discrimination," says Attorney Jonathan Segal. Or take a similar […]

Boeing May Have Discriminated in RIF Process, Ninth Circuit Rules

According to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), managers at the Washington-state based Boeing Corporation discriminated against female employees when they administered the company’s Reduction in Force (RIF) evaluations, used to determine which employees would be laid off. One Boeing employee, Antonia Castron, asked to be transferred away from a manager who often stated […]

Subordinate Dating: ‘Most Dangerous Workplace Activity’

What about supervisors asking subordinates for dates? “It’s not recommended, in fact, it’s the most dangerous action in the workplace,” says Attorney Jonathan Segal. Segal’s remarks came as part of his “Harassment Quiz” at SHRM’s recent Annual Convention and Exposition in New Orleans. Segal is a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane […]